Receptacle

ABSTRACT

A receptacle, particularly a closed plastic ampoule produced in a blow molding method and filled in the mold, having a sleeve-type neck part ( 1 ) connected to a receptacle body ( 3 ) as an axial extension, the neck forming a seat ( 11 ) for a pre-shaped insert ( 5 ), the neck part ( 1 ) being integrally molded in the mold onto a circumferential surface ( 9 ) of the insert ( 5 ), and the circumferential surface ( 9 ) being equipped with at least one surface irregularity ( 21 ) having an enclosed base surface such that, due to the integral molding of the neck part ( 1 ) onto the circumferential surface ( 9 ) of the insert ( 5 ), a positive fit is present between the insert and the neck part ( 1 ), the fit forming a fixing element, characterized in that the axial extension of the base surface of the respective surface irregularity ( 21 ) is only a small fraction of the axial extension of the circumferential surface ( 9 ).

The invention relates to a receptacle, especially a plastic ampule which is produced especially in a blow molding process and which is filled and sealed in the mold, with a sleeve-like neck part which is connected to the receptacle body as an axial extension and which forms a seat for a premolded insert, the neck part being molded in the mold onto the peripheral surface of the insert and the peripheral surface being provided with at least one surface irregularity which has a bounded base surface, so that by molding the neck part onto the peripheral surface of the insert, between it and the neck part there is positive locking which forms a fixing element.

Receptacles of this type, in which the receptacle body is produced from a thermoplastic material, such as high density or low density polyethylene, polypropylene or similar materials which are compatible with the intended container contents, are known, cf. EP 0 803 442 B1. These receptacles are conventionally used to hold and dispense liquids for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes, the delivery of the liquid taking place via the insert which sits in the neck part of the receptacle body, with an exit or delivery end which can be premolded according to the intended application, for example with a dropper-forming outlet for direct delivery of drops, for example of eye drops, after clearing the dropper opening; this generally takes place by unscrewing the receptacle cap. In these receptacles, on the delivery region of the insert there can also be a Luer® connection. Regardless of the special execution of the delivery region, it can be covered by an end cap or sealing cap which is removed from the insert before using the contents of the container.

In intensive use with the corresponding loads acting on the delivery region of the insert, there is the danger that the insert in the seat of the neck part of the receptacle body will become loose or detached from it, so that the receptacle contents can run out. In order to minimize this danger, in the known solution (EP 0 803 442 B1) ribs protruding on the peripheral surface of the insert are made as surface irregularities and run at regular intervals from one another in the axial direction essentially over the entire axial extension of the peripheral surface. Together with the molded-on neck part of the receptacle body, these ribs form toothing by which the insert is locked against turning in the neck part. While this toothing is suited for accommodating torques, these ribs which run parallel in the axial direction do not offer adequate protection against axial movements of the insert relative to the neck part. To counteract this, the upper end region of the peripheral surface of the insert in the known solution offers a radially projecting flange around which the material of the neck part is molded such that the plastic material of the neck part extends over the two side surfaces of the flange of plastic material. Aside from the fact that a radially projecting bead over which the plastic material of the neck part extends leads to a less pleasing appearance, there is the disadvantage of complex execution of the molding device and of the prefabricated insert itself.

DE 10 2005 025 760 A1 furthermore discloses a receptacle, especially a plastic ampule which is produced especially in a blow molding process and which is filled and sealed in the mold, with a neck part which is connected to the receptacle body and onto which a first cap part can be screwed and with a second cap part which extends at least partially between the first cap part and the neck part and which is provided with, an opening means for opening the receptacle body which has at least one opening, and which can be sealed by means of the first cap part, by means of the process of screwing on the first cap part its entraining the second cap part such that the opening means formed generally in the manner of an opening spike which causes opening of the receptacle, after unscrewing the first cap part a closure part in the manner of a sealing plug thereof clearing the opening of the opening means and in doing so the second cap part remaining on the neck part. In this way two different opening versions can be implemented with only one receptacle, with incorporation of a so-called open cap arrangement and using one with a spike opening means which can puncture the membrane-like closed delivery opening.

With respect to this prior art, the object of the invention is to make available a receptacle of the type under consideration which ensures reliable fixing of the insert in position in the neck part of the receptacle body with a simple and optically pleasing configuration.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a receptacle which has the features of claim 1 in its entirety.

In that, as specified in the characterizing part of claim 1, instead of ribs which run in the axial direction essentially over the entire peripheral surface, there is one or more surface irregularities of axially limited extension, there results positive locking between the insert and molded-on neck part of the receptacle body which acts not only against the torques, but also against the axial forces.

In advantageous embodiments, the respective surface irregularity is formed by a nub, and the respective nubs, viewed in cross section, can be made circular, semicircular or polygonal, especially triangular or square.

In especially advantageous embodiments the nubs form a spherical convexity, preferably on the peripheral surface of the insert a projecting elevation being formed. It goes without saying that inwardly pointed nubs could be formed specifically by depressions in the peripheral surface of the insert. Preferably the arrangement is such that for a circularly cylindrical peripheral surface of the insert the nubs are located distributed on at least one circular line which runs in the peripheral direction.

In especially preferred embodiments the nubs are located on several circular lines which run at an axial distance from one another.

In this connection there can be a different pattern arrangement of the nubs, for example such that the nubs are located offset to one another in adjacent circular lines in the peripheral direction.

There can also be differently dimensioned and/or shaped nubs in the circular lines.

For especially preferred embodiments the receptacle has a sealing cap which can be screwed onto the outer thread of the insert. This can also be provided with an inner spike by which a delivery opening on the insert can be punctured when screwed on.

The invention will be detailed below using embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective oblique view of one embodiment of the receptacle cut in the lengthwise direction, for illustration of the invention the insert being shown in the position removed from the neck part of the receptacle body;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of only the insert of the embodiment, drawn slightly enlarged compared to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the insert corresponding to FIG. 2 according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the insert of another embodiment similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, and

FIG. 5 shows a still further enlarged lengthwise section of a sealing cap as a component of the embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 4.

The invention will be described below using embodiments in which in the neck part 1 of an ampule-like receptacle body 3 there sits an insert 5 which is made as a dropper and which has a delivery opening 7 from which the container contents can be delivered drop by drop, for example a liquid for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes, such as eye drops or the like. As detailed below, the insert can also be made and shaped differently, assuming that it has a peripheral surface 9 which can be fixed in a seat 11 of the sleeve-like neck part 1 of the receptacle body 3. In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the insert is a hollow body with a circular cylindrical peripheral surface 9 connected to a delivery part 13 which tapers toward the end-side delivery opening 7, on the peripheral region of the delivery part 13 there being an outside thread 15 to which the inside thread 17 of a sealing cap 19 which is shown only in FIG. 5 can be screwed.

In production according to one of the conventional blow molding processes, the receptacle body 3 is molded without first of all undertaking the final shaping of the neck part 1. In the mold then the container contents are added. Before final shaping of the neck part 1 then the premolded insert 5 is positioned in the molding means such that it is located in the position in which movable mold jaws mold the neck part 1 such that it is molded with its inside which forms the seat 11 to the outside of the peripheral surface 9 of the insert 5. As is apparent from the drawings, the peripheral surface 9 does not form a continuous surface, but has surface irregularities which are formed in the illustrated examples by elevations projecting from the peripheral surface 9, which in the illustrated examples are nubs 21 which are not all numbered in FIGS. 2 and 4. When the neck part 1 is molded onto the nubs 21, in the inner surface of the seat 11 of the neck part 1 there are the corresponding depressions 23 which are pressed in by the nubs 21 which are made projecting on the insert 5 which is of relatively more stable shape. It goes without saying that instead of the projecting nubs 21 of the insert 5 there could equally well be depressions which the plastic material of the neck part in nub shape would enter when the neck part 1 is molded onto the seat 11. In any case the surface irregularities on the peripheral surface 9 of the insert 5 when the neck part 1 is molded on cause positive fixing by which the insert 5 is fixed relative to the receptacle body 3 both against axial movements and also rotary movements.

While FIG. 3 shows an embodiment in which there is simply a small number of nubs, only one nub 21 being visible, FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 show a pattern arrangement of nubs 21 in which the nubs 21 are each arranged distributed in the peripheral direction of the peripheral surface 9 on circular lines which run parallel to one another. Here FIG. 2 shows an example in which the nubs 21 of the two rows are arranged flush in the axial direction, while FIG. 4 shows an example in which the nubs 21 of the two rows are arranged “staggered” relative to one another. While the figures show nubs 21 of spherical shape which are made and dimensioned identically, it goes without saying that there could be nubs of different size and shape which can differ within the rows and/or from row to row.

FIG. 1 shows that the delivery opening 7 is premolded, but closed on the inner end. As already mentioned, FIG. 5 shows a sealing cap 19 which can be screwed onto the outer thread 15 of the insert 5 with its inside thread 17. As is likewise to be seen from FIG. 5, the sealing cap 19 on the cap bottom has a central, protruding spike 25 which is arranged and dimensioned such that when the cap 19 is screwed completely onto the insert 5 the delivery opening 7 is closed by the spike 25. The spike 25 could also be made such that it punctures a hermetically sealed container opening in the screwing-on process.

While in the illustrated embodiments the insert 5 has one delivery part 13 which forms a type of dropper, it goes without saying that there could be inserts of any type or shape, on the peripheral surface of which the neck part 1 of the pertinent receptacle body 3 can be molded such that surface irregularities which are provided on the peripheral surface 9 with an axial extension which is much smaller than the axial extension of the peripheral surface 9 form a connection of the type shown here to the neck part. Thus for example the insert could have a stopper part which can be punctured by means of an injection needle, a discharge opening which can be closed for example by means of a screw closure and which is dimensioned to be larger, a means for a Luer® connection, a molded-on closure which can be manually unscrewed at a scored site by means of a screw cap, or the like. 

1. Receptacle, especially a plastic ampule which is produced especially in a blow molding process and which is filled and sealed in the mold, with a sleeve-like neck part (1) which is connected to the receptacle body (3) as an axial extension and which forms a seat (11) for a premolded insert (5), the neck part (1) being molded in the mold onto the peripheral surface (9) of the insert (5) and the peripheral surface (9) being provided with at least one surface irregularity (21) which has a bounded base surface so that by molding the neck part (1) onto the peripheral surface (9) of the insert (5), between it and the neck part (1) there is positive locking which forms a fixing element, characterized in that the axial extension of the base surface of the respective surface irregularity (21) is only a small fraction of the axial extension of the peripheral surface (9).
 2. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the respective surface irregularity is formed by a nub (21).
 3. The receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the respective nub (21) viewed in cross section is circular, semicircular or polygonal, especially triangular or square.
 4. The receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the respective nub (21) forms a spherical convexity.
 5. The receptacle according to claim 2, wherein the respective nub (21) on the peripheral surface (9) of the insert (5) forms a projecting elevation.
 6. The receptacle according to claim 2, wherein there is a plurality of nubs (21).
 7. The receptacle according to claim 6, wherein the peripheral surface (9) of the insert (5) is made in the shape of a circular cylinder, and wherein the nubs (21) are located distributed on at least one circular line which runs in the peripheral direction.
 8. The receptacle according to claim 7, wherein the nubs (21) are located on several circular lines which run at an axial distance from one another.
 9. The receptacle according to claim 8, wherein the nubs (21) are located offset to one another in adjacent circular lines in the peripheral direction.
 10. The receptacle according to claim 6, wherein the nubs (21) are dimensioned and/or shaped differently.
 11. The receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the insert (5) is a hollow body with an elongated delivery part (13) which is connected to the peripheral surface (9) which is to be held in the neck part (1) of the receptacle body (3) and extends in a tapering shape to the delivery end on which the delivery opening (7) which can be cleared is located.
 12. The receptacle according to claim 11, wherein the delivery opening (7) can be cleared by puncturing by means of an actuating element (19).
 13. The receptacle according to claim 12, wherein it has a sealing cap (19) which acts as the actuating element and which can be screwed onto the outer thread (15) of the insert (5) and is provided with an inner spike (25) by which the delivery opening (7) can be sealed when screwing-on. 